Exercising and gymnastics appliances

ABSTRACT

881,938. Exercising apparatus. ARONSOHN, A. Nov. 2, 1959 [Nov. 4, 1958], No. 37110/59. Class 132(1) In an exercising appliance, a pair of cranks 5 carrying pedals 6 are mounted in front of a seat 3 and are connected by transmission means, which reverses the direction of rotation, to a second pair of cranks 21 mounted above and rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to that of cranks 5, cranks 21 being spaced from one another and having inwardly directed handles. As shown, an adjustable chair 3 is mounted on part 2 of a telescoping two part sub-frame 1, 2 whose part 1 carries an upright 4 having at its upper end a shaft carrying the cranks 5. A sprocket wheel 7 on this shaft is connected by a chain 8 to a sprocket wheel 9 on a shaft 10 mounted in brackets 11 on part 1. Gears 12 on shaft 10 mesh with gears 13 on shafts 14 carried on standards 15 mounted on part 1. A sprocket wheel 16 is mounted on each shaft 14 and is connected by chain 17 to a sprocket wheel 18 mounted on a shaft 20, at the upper end of a bar 19, and carrying one crank 21. Each bar 19 is pivoted to the associated standard 15 and may be held in any desired position by a brace 23 secured at one end to standard 15 and at the other end to the bar 19. Cranks 5 and 21 can be driven by a motor connected to shaft 10 which cant also be connected by gearing 25 to a brake 24.

A. ARONSOHN EXERCISING AND GYMNASTICS APPLIANCES Jan. 16, 1962 Filed Nov. 2, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fug I I/vvEunR ALLAN ARUNSOHN ATTORNEK$ Jan. 16, 1962 A. ARONSOHN 3,017,180

EXERCISING AND GYMNASTICS APPLIANCES Filed Nov. 2, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 18 22 21 20 r' l fi i 19 l \12 Flg II 10 25 12 INVENT6R ALLAN ARa/vsaHN ATTORNEYS" Jan. 16, 1962 A. ARONSOHN 3,017,180

EXERCISING AND GYMNASTICS APPLIANCES Filed Nov. 2, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ALLAN ARONSOHN By h/mlu d, M

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,017,180 EXERCISING AND GYMNASTECS APPLIANCES Allan Aronsohn, Halsingborg, Sweden (Storgatan 80, Angelholm, Sweden) Filed Nov. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 850,138 Claims priority, application Sweden Nov. 4, 1958 3 Claims. (Cl. 27258) This invention relates to an exercising and gymnastics appliance which has been developed especially as an aid in making gymnastic movements for so exercising muscles broken down by diseases, such as polio, that the function of the muscles is essentially restored, said appliance being so arranged as to cause all muscles in the body to work to a full extend and in their natural manner.

The exercising and gymnastics appliance, according to the invention comprises one pair of cranks provided with pedals and disposed in front of a seat, and another pair of cranks provided with handles and located above the first-mentioned pair of cranks. This appliance is characterised by the fact that he cranks having the handles are arranged above the seat on either side thereof and that between said pairs of cranks thereis provided a transmission coupling the cranks together for rotation in opposite directions.

Further features of the invention and the advantages gained thereby will become apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1, II and III are a side view, end view and plan view, respectively, of an appliance according to the invention chosen by Way of example.

The appliance illustrated comprises a two-part subframe 1, 2, the part 2 thereof being movable in the part 1 and adapted to be secured to said part 1 in any desired position of adjustment. The subframe part 2 carries a preferably rotatable chair 3 which is vertically adjustable and has a back which may be set in various positions of inclination. In front of the chair 3 the subframe part 1 carries an upright 4, and at the upper end of said upright there is mounted a shaft having a pair of oppositely directed cranks 5 provided with pedals 6 which are so arranged as to give the feet a secure hold thereon. The shaft of the cranks 5 has a sprocket wheel 7 thereon which is connected by means of a chain 8 to a sprocket wheel 9 on an intermediary shaft 10 which is mounted in a pair of brackets 11 on the subframe part 1. Disposed at each end of said intermediary shaft is a gear 12 which is in mesh with a gear 13 on a shaft 14. This shaft 14 is mounted in a standard 15 disposed at the respective end of the shaft 10 on the subframe part 1. A sprocket wheel 16 is mounted on said shaft 14 and is operatively connected by means of a chain 17 to a sprocket wheel 18 which is disposed on a Shaft mounted at the upper end of a bar 19 and carrying a crank 21 with a handle 22, the cranks 21 on the two shafts 20 extending in the same direction in the present instance. The sprocket wheels 16 are preferably detachably coupled to the shaft 14 to permit their disengagement from said shaft for releasing one or both cranks 21 from the cranks 5. The lower end of the bar 19 is pivotally mounted on the associated standard 15 coaxially with the shaft 14 for pivoting towards and away from the chair 3, and the bar 19 is adjustable into different positions of inclination by means of a brace 23 which has its one end pivotally mounted on the bar 19 while its other end can be secured in different positions of adjustment to the standard 15. A brake 24 with an optionally adjustable weight is connected to the intermediary shaft 10 by a gearing 25. A suitable motor for driving the cranks 5 and 21 can also be connected to said shaft or to another part of the transmission system described.

A person sitting in the chair 3 and indicated by dash and dot lines in FIG. I can actuate the cranks 5 with his feet, thus causing the shaft 10 to rotate via the transmission 7, 8, 9, for instance in anti-clockwise direction, as is indicated by an arrow in FIG. I. The anti-clockwise rotational movement of the shaft 10 is transmitted by the gears 12, 13 to each of the shafts 14 which are thus r0 tated clockwise, imparting their clockwise movement via the transmission 16, 17, 18 to the associated shafts 20 so that the cranks 21 on said shafts are brought to rotate clockwise as is indicated by an arrow in FIG. I. By actuating the cranks 5 with his feet and simultaneously grasping the handles 22 in his hands, the person sitting in the chair 3 will have imparted to him a movement beneficial to his leg, arm and body muscles, a greater or smaller resistance to the operation of the transmission system being obtainable by loading the brake 24 in a varying degree. Of course, the transmission system can also be driven by means of the cranks 21 if the patients legs should not be sufliciently strong to actuate th etransmission system via the cranks 5, and should the patients muscles be so withered that he cannot use either his arms or his legs to actuate the appliance, a small electric motor can be provided to transmit the required power to the transmission system. The cranks 5 and 21, respectively, can be set in any relative angle whatever that is found suitable for the training to be obtained in each individual case, and the angular positions of the cranks 5 relative to those of the cranks 21 may naturally be set accordingly. By adjustment of the subframe 1, 2, the chair 3 and the bars 19 the appliance can be suited also in other respects to the most advantageous manner to the person making use of the appliance.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An exercising and gymnatics appliance comprising a frame, a seat on said frame, a first pair of cranks, first mounting means on said frame, in front of and below said seat on which said first pair of cranks are rotatably mounted, pedals on said cranks, a second pair of cranks, a pair of upstanding standards pivotally mounted on said frame at their lower ends, one on each side of said seat, for swinging movement about a common axis substantially parallel to the rotational axis of said first pair of cranks for movement towards and away from said seat, one of the cranks in said second pair of cranks rotatably mounted at the upper end of each of said standards independently of the other crank in said second pair for rotation about an axis substantially parallel to said rotational axis, means for locking said standards in different angular positions, the cranks in said second pair of cranks being spaced from each other in the axial direction of said axes, handles on the cranks in said second pair of cranks projecting towards each other from said cranks, and means coupling said first and second pairs of cranks together for rotating the second pair of cranks in the opposite direction from the first pair of cranks.

2. An exercising and gymnastics appliance com-prising a frame, a seat on said frame, a first pair of cranks, first mounting means on said frame in front of and below said seat on which said first pair of cranks are rotatably mounted, pedals on said cranks, a second pair of cranks, a pair of upstanding standards on said frame, one on each side of said seat, each of said standards having one of the cranks in said second pair of cranks rotatably mounted on the upper end thereof independently of the other crank in said second pair for rotation about an axis substantially parallel to the rotational axis of said first pair of cranks, the cranks in said second pair of cranks being spaced from each other in the axial direction of said axes, handles on the cranks in said second pair of cranks projecting towards each other from said cranks, a first shaft, a first chain drive coupling said first pair of cranks to said first shaft, a second shaft, said standards being pivotally mounted at their lower ends for swinging movement about the axis of said second shaft towards and away from said seat, means for locking said standards in different angular positions, gears on said first and second shafts engaging each other, a second chain drive coupling one of the cranks in said second pair of cranks to said second shaft, and a third chain drive coupling the other one of said cranks to said second shaft, said first and second pairs of cranks being coupled together by said chain drives, gears and shafts for rotating the second pair of cranks in op posite direction from the first pair of cranks.

3. An exercising and gymnatics appliance comprising a frame having a first and a second part, a seat mounted on the first part of said frame, a first pair of cranks, first mounting means on the second part of said frame in front of and below said seat on which first pair of cranks is rotatably mounted, said first and second parts of said frame being relatively adjustable for adjusting the distance between said first pair of cranks and said seat, means for locking said first and second parts of said frame together in adjusted position, pedals on said cranks, a second pair of cranks, a pair of upstanding standards mounted on said frame, one on each side of said seat, each of said standards having one of the cranks in said second pair of cranks mounted on the upper end thereof independently of the other crank in said second pair for rotation about an axis substantially parallel to the rotational axis of said first pair, the cranks in said second pair of cranks being spaced from each other in the axial direction of said axes, handles on the cranks in said second pair of cranks projecting towards each other from said cranks, a first shaft, first chain drive coupling said first pair of cranks to said first shaft, a second shaft, said standards being pivotally mounted at their lower ends for swinging movement about the axis of said second shaft towards and away from said seat, means for locking said standards in different angular positions, gears on said first andsecond shafts engaging each other, a second chain drive coupling one of the cranks in said second pair of cranks to said second shaft, a third chain drive coupling the other one of said cranks to said second shaft, said first and second pairs of cranks being coupled together by said chain drives, gears and shafts for rotation in opposite rotational directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,820,372 Blomquist Aug. 25, 1931 1,909,002 Oehlberg May 16, 1933 2,630,332 Pettijohn Mar. 3, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 517,774 Germany Feb. 7, 1931 378,581 Great Britain Aug. 18, 1932 1,072,001 France Mar. 10, 1954 1,185,846 France Feb. 16, 1959 

